Improvement in spring and weight piston-engines and stamping-machines



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

EDWD. F. MCFARLAND AND JOHN MOFARLAND, OF VORCESTER, MASS.

IMPROVEMENT IN SPRING AND WEIGHT PISTON-ENGINES AND STAMPING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent- No. 51,73*?, dated December 26, 1865 To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EDWARD F. MCFAR- LAND and J oHN MGFARLAND, of Worcester, county of Worcester, and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new Spring and Weight Engine and Stamping-Machine; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a partof this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical -section of the upper part of our engine and an external view of the lower part thereof. Fig. 2 is a vertical central section through the engine. Fig. 3 is a top view.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the three figures.

The -object ot' our invention is to obtain power from the alternate extension and retraction of loaded springs, which are suspended from the extremities of an oscillating beam for driving machinery and for other purposes, as will be hereinafter described.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand our invention, we will describe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents a solid foundation, which may be made of metal or of stone. I prefer to make this foundation of masonry, as it will be much cheaper than iron and answer every purpose. Upon this foundation is secured a metal slab, A', and upon this is erected aframc, B, which forms vertical guides for receiving and guiding two weights, C C', in their up and down movements.

The frame B may be made of any desired height, according to the fall which it may be found necessary to allow the weights C C', and it may be made of any desired area horizontally, according to the size which may be requiredof the weights C C. If these weights are rectangular, the frame B will be made of this shape, or if cylindrical the frame will be shaped accordingly. As said frame is intended more particularly to prevent the weights from vibrating or tilting in giving to them a rapid vertical motion, it mayr be made of light bars, instead of being closed, as shown in the drawings, or any form of framework which will guide the weights maybe adopted, as circumstances may require. We prefer in every .ease to employ a division, D, for preventing E E should be such as will admit the Weights C C to strike the bed-plate A before the springs are extended to their utmost.

The weights C C have wrist-pins c c pro jecting from them through slotted guides of frame B, as shown in Fig. 1, to which pins pit men F F are connected at their upper ends. The lower ends of these pitmen are pivoted to the two throw-cranks G G' of a crank-shaft, G2. This shaft has its bearingsin the foundaA tion of the engine, and carries a large spurwheel, H, which communicates motion to a ily wheel, I, through the medium of several spurwheels of varying sizes. The. shaft I of the fly or balance wheel I has a drum, d, upon it, from which motion is communicated to a shaft, e, by means of a belt, d. This shaft e carries a spur-wheel, e', which engages wit-h the teeth l of a pinion, e2, that is keyed on a crank-shaft, f, to the crank of which arod, J, is connected, and is carried upward and again connected to a rectangular rocking lever, g, that receives its motion from the beam c, to which the loaded springs E E are suspended.

In Fig. l of the drawings the weight C is represented as just having started to move downward, while the weight C' has just started upward, the weight C by its own gravity and the impetus which it acquires in descending, together with the recoil of lthe extended spring E', all operate to lift the weight C'i When the weight C descends a certain distance it strikes suddenly upon the bed-plate A', which throws or starts the weight upward again to allow the opposite weight to descend.

By arranging the guide B upon a movable y V in The helical metal The weights and Y bed or carriage and removing the bottom of` the guide-frame, we have an engine which may be used forastonepounder, for ram ming earth, and for various purposes where it is au object to utilize manualpower.

The power for operating the loaded springs may be applied to one ory the other of the crank-arms G G of the shaft G2, or at any other practicable point, as the necessity of the case may demand. Power is absolutely neeessary of course, and it must be so applied to the machine continuouslyT as to produce an oscillation or vibration of the beam a.

Having thus described our invention, what 

